Talking about Detective Fiction

by P. D. James

  This Is a Borzoi Book

  Published by Alfred A. Knopf and Alfred A. Knopf Canada

  Copyright (c) 2009 by P. D. James

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and in Canada by Alfred A. Knopf Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

  Originally published in Great Britain by the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

  www.aaknopf.com

  www.randomhouse.ca

  Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  Knopf Canada and colophon are trademarks.

  Cartoons used in Foreword, Chapters 4, 5, and 6: www.CartoonStock.com. Cartoons used in Chapters 1, 2, and 8: reproduced with permission of Punch Ltd., www.punch.co.uk.

  Cartoon used in Chapter 3: from author's own collection.

  Cartoon used in Chapter 7: David Brown/artizans.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  James, P. D.

  Talking about detective fiction / by P. D. James.--1st American ed.

  p. cm.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-59332-0

  1. Detective and mystery stories, English--History

  and criticism. I. Title.

  PR830.D4J36 2009

  823'.8--dc22

  2009038501

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  James, P. D., 1920-

  Talking about detective fiction / P. D. James.

  1. Detective and mystery stories--History and criticism.

  I. Title.

  PN3448.D4J36 2009 809.3'872 C2009-905060-9

  v3.0